The Jets’ roster is now at 71 players after the club announced 18 cuts today. Like all NFL teams, New York will need to reduce to 53 players by Saturday afternoon. Several of the following transactions were reported earlier today, but we’ll list them here as well:

Minter is one of the bigger names in the bunch and one of the biggest surprises. Minter seemed likely to make the team as an inside linebacker, but evidently didn’t do enough to win the job. Minter‘s signed a one-year, $880K deal with the Jets in April, but the team won’t be on the hook for much more than his $90K signing bonus.

Bass had 3.5 sacks in 13 games for the Jets last season and did well according to the advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus, but summer injuries ultimately cost him a place on the team for the fall.

The Jets will have the opportunity to add some of these players to their practice squad if they pass through waivers, but the team is unlikely to extend the invite to James, according to Slater.

Last offseason, Patriots third-round offensive lineman Antonio Garcia was expected to play a role for the 2017 squad. A year later, the Troy product is rostered by one of New England’s division rivals, the Jets.

Garcia ended up missing his entire rookie campaign after blood clots were found in his lungs. The Patriots ultimately cut the lineman earlier this offseason, and he quickly caught on with the New York, where he’s been taking backup left tackle snaps during OTAs. The 24-year-old denied reports claiming he had lost nearly 40 pounds, and he didn’t sound particularly surprised by the Patriots’ decision to let him go.

After learning of his diagnosis shortly before training camp was set to begin, Garcia admitted that the entire ordeal caught him off guard.

“It was definitely unexpected,” Garcia said. “It’s never happened ever in my life. How did I react to it? I was caught off-guard. But I had no choice but to accept it and try to improve every day.”

Let’s take a look at other notes out of the AFC East…

As BrockOsweiler competes with DavidFales and BrycePetty to be the Dolphins backup quarterback, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald says the veteran needs to improve his accuracy if he has any hope of making the team. However, while Osweiler doesn’t seem to be the favorite for the gig, it sounds like he has the support of the coaching staff. “What Brock has is unbelievable command of the offense,” said offensive coordinator DowellLoggains. “He was in it. He got to learn from the best in the game — No. 18 [PeytonManning] — and when you watch his huddle etiquette, his line of scrimmage procedure etiquette, he does an outstanding job there.”

Jay Skurski of the Buffalo News wonders if wideout Brandon Reilly could end up making the Bills. The former undrafted free agent spent most of the 2017 season on Buffalo’s practice squad, but a shallow receiver depth chart means he could earn a promotion in 2018. Skurski notes that KelvinBenjamin is really the only wideout with a guaranteed roster spot, although he assumes ZayJones and JeremyKerley will make the team. Otherwise, Reilly could realistically beat out any of the other receivers sitting on the roster.

Rumors were flying around Twitter and New England yesterday regarding a potential RobGronkowski trade. Those rumblings ultimately proved to be unfounded, with one Patriots reporter saying there was “zero truth” to any of the reports.

The Jets will take a flier on a recently waived Patriot. Second-year tackle Antonio Garcia will have a chance with the Jets after the team plucked him from the waiver wire, Field Yates of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter).

A 2017 third-round pick, Garcia did not play as a rookie and saw the Patriots revamp their tackle situation during the most recent draft weekend.

The Patriots waived Garcia with a non-football injury designation. The former Troy standout had blood clots in his lungs, causing him to miss last season. He spent it on the Patriots’ non-football illness list. Although New England lost Nate Solder in free agency, Isaiah Wynn and Trent Brown are now in the picture. And Garcia will head to the Jets, who also gave Kony Ealy a shot last year after the Pats cut him.

Shipping three draft choices to the Colts for the right to select Sam Darnold, the Jets did not address their tackle situation with outside help in the draft or in free agency. Kelvin Beachum started all 16 games for the Jets at left tackle last season, and Brandon Shell started 12 at right tackle. Both were top-45 tackles last season, per Pro Football Focus. The Jets re-signed Ben Ijalana as well, and Garcia is now in this mix.